Cleaning kit for jewelry and intricate objects

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a cleaning kit for jewelry and other intricate objects. The new and unique kit is used for wet or dry cleaning utilizing an assortment of brushes and buffing tools of various sizes and configurations for getting into small crevices of jewelry and intricate objects. A battery operated vibratory handle is provided that has unique characteristics for use in cleaning of jewelry and intricate objects. Also included are recipes for cleaning solutions, cloth(s) for polishing, buffing or drying of jewelry and an appropriate container to keep the kit together in a convenient location.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This U.S. Non-Provisional Utility Patent application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent No. 61/552,518 filed on Oct. 28, 2011.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

The present invention represents a significant step forward in the field of specialty cleaning equipment and supplies, serving the professional jeweler, jewelry repair and restoration as well as the rapidly growing “do it yourself market”. Currently, a professional picks through an assortment of general purpose implements that are not well suited for cleaning jewelry or a “do it yourselfer” finds an old tooth brush and a paper towel or toilet tissue to clean jewelry that represents their investments, personal valuables, family heirlooms and cherished keepsakes. These currently marketed cleaning devices do not address the problems of cleaning in the small openings and crevices of jewelry and are particularly lacking in features that effectively clean, expedite the cleaning process and prevent damage to valuable jewelry. The present invention addresses these problems by providing a coordinated set of brushes and buffing tools of shapes proven to clean jewelry efficiency and without damaging the jewelry's soft precious metals in combination with a battery powered vibratory brush holder that gently but efficiently expedites the process. Particular attention is given to the use of brushes that can be manually used or installed on the vibratory handle so that a minimum of supplies are used and fewer implements require cleanup when cleaning is completed.

PRIOR ART

The following is art representative of what is published in the field of cleaning apparatus and kits.

Published Application No. U.S. 20060090274 to inventor Kim discloses an apparatus for cleaning of teeth with a brush that is both manually or power vibrated, has plastic handles, a battery operated vibrated handle, easily removed brushes, however, the published application to Kim lacks disclosure of a kit and lacks an apparatus for wet or dry cleaning of jewelry in a single package, lacks a treated polishing cloth or an un-treated buffing cloth, lacks an assortment of long handle brushes, lacks circumferential depressions in the short handles, lacks coated brush wires or protected brush tips, lacks buffing tools, lacks an axially vibrated handle, lacks a power switch on the handle end opposite the brush, and lacks a kit container.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,439 to inventor Bourrelly discloses a long handle brush with a protected tip, however the patent to Bourrelly lacks a kit and an apparatus for wet or dry cleaning of jewelry in a single package, lacks a treated polishing cloth or an un-treated buffing cloth, lacks an assortment of long handle brushes or short handle multiple use brushes with circumferential depressions in the handles, lacks coated brush wires, lacks buffing tools, lacks a battery operated axially vibrated handle with easily removed brushes, lacks a power switch on the handle end, and lacks a kit container.

Published Application No. U.S. 2011/0209380 to inventor losso et al. discloses a kit and an apparatus for dry cleaning of firearms in a single package, an assortment brushes, however, the published application to losso et al. lacks a kit and an apparatus for wet or dry cleaning, lacks a single package, lacks a treated polishing cloth or an un-treated buffing cloth, lacks an assortment of long handle brushes or short handle multiple use brushes with circumferential depressions in the handles, lacks plastic handles, lacks coated brush wires or protected wire tips, lacks buffing tools, lacks a battery operated axially vibrated handle easily removed brushes, lacks a power switch on the handle end, and lacks a kit container.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,258 to inventor Kingsley discloses an apparatus for wet cleaning of jewelry in a single package, a brush, a battery operated axially vibrated handle, however, the patent to Kingsley lacks a kit and an apparatus for dry cleaning of jewelry, lacks a treated polishing cloth or an un-treated buffing cloth, lacks an assortment of long handle brushes or short handle multiple use brushes with circumferential depressions in the handles, lacks coated brush wires or protected wire tips, lacks buffing tools, lacks easily removed brushes, lacks a power switch on the handle end, and a kit container.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,209 to inventor Mann discloses a kit and an apparatus for wet cleaning of jewelry in a single package, a short handled brush and a kit container, however, the patent to Mann lacks a kit for dry cleaning of jewelry, lacks a treated polishing cloth or an un-treated buffing cloth, lacks an assortment of long handle brushes or short handle multiple use brushes with circumferential depressions in the handles, lacks coated brush wires or protected wire tips, lacks buffing tools, lacks a battery operated axially vibrated handle easily removed brushes, and lacks a power switch on the handle end.

Published Application No. U.S. 2011/0061186 to inventor Questiaux et al. discloses an apparatus for wet or dry cleaning with a battery operated vibrated handle, however, the patent to Questiaux et al. lacks a kit for wet or dry cleaning of jewelry in a single package, lacks treated polishing cloth or un-treated buffing cloth, lacks an assortment of long handle brushes or short handle multiple use brushes with circumferential depressions in the handles, lacks plastic handles, coated brush wires or protected wire tips, lacks buffing tools, lacks an axially vibrated handle, easily removed brushes, lacks a power switch on the handle end, and lacks a kit container. None of the above Patents or Published Patent Applications singly or in combination is seen to describe or suggest the combination of the present invention as claimed.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a cleaning kit that includes the implements needed to clean, buff or polish jewelry and other intricate objects by both dry and wet methods. The kit includes long handled brushes of various shapes and sizes for manual cleaning and short handled brushes and buffing tools of various shapes and sizes that can be used for manual cleaning or with a battery operated vibrating brush handle that is also included for use with wet cleaning methods. Lastly, the kit includes a polishing cloth, pad, mitt, or other implements for use with dry jewelry cleaning methods. Particular attention is given to brushes, buffing and polishing tools that protect the jewelry from damage and dual use brushes so that a minimum of cleaning supplies are used and fewer implements require cleanup when cleaning is finished.

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a kit comprising everything required to clean jewelry and intricate objects using both wet and dry methods in a single package.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide one or more either treated polishing cloths or un-treated buffing cloths for use with dry jewelry and intricate object cleaning methods;

A further objective of the present invention is to provide an assortment of long handle brushes with differing size, shape, density or stiffness of bristles for manual, wet or dry cleaning of jewelry and intricate objects.

Still another objective is to provide another assortment of short handle brushes differing size, shape, density or stiffness of bristles for manual or vibrating, wet or dry cleaning of jewelry and intricate objects;

Still another objective of the present invention is to equip at least one of the brushes for vibrating wet or dry cleaning of jewelry with circumferentially oriented depressions along the handle to prevent slipping from the hand of the user during manual use during cleaning of jewelry and intricate objects;

Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a plastic handle, plastic coated wire and or a plastic tip to at least one of the brushes to prevent inadvertent scratching of the jewelry and intricate objects during use;

Still another objective is to provide a battery operated, axially vibrated handle for the vibratory cleaning of jewelry and intricate objects with the vibrating wet or dry cleaning method;

Still another objective of the present invention is that the brushes for manual or vibratory use be installed or removed from the handle by a gentle axial tug on the brush;

Still another objective is the vibratory handle has a power switch that is on the flat end of the handle opposite from the brush to avoid unintentional turning on or off of the vibrator which could divert the users attention and result in damage to the jewelry and intricate objects or the user.

A last objective is use of all or some of the cleaning kit to clean, polish, buff or coat small objects other than jewelry and intricate objects.

It is also considered to be within the spirit of the present invention to provide recipes for making solutions for cleaning polishing buffing of jewelry and intricate objects, or accessories that protect the eyes, hands, skin or clothing of the user or the work surfaces of the facility where the jewelry cleaning is being performed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

It should be understood that the drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to define the limits of the disclosure nor the meets and bounds of the claims of the present invention. The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the embodiments described herein will become apparent detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1, is a front view of a polishing cloth of the present invention in a re-sealable plastic bag.

FIG. 2, is a side view of an example of an assortment of short handled brushes of the present invention.

FIG. 3, is a top view of the battery powered vibrating handle of the present invention.

FIG. 4, is a side view of an example of an assortment of long handled implements of the present invention.

FIG. 5; is a top view of the example of implements of the present invention in a covered container.

FIG. 6, is a block diagram of the preferred method of using the cleaning kit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

FIG. 1, shows a typical cleaning cloth or treated polishing cloth or drying cloth 16 contained in a re-sealable plastic bag 18. FIG. 2, shows the tools that can be short handled implements 20 of various shapes and sizes 22 used for cleaning and buffing tools 28 with a soft surface 29 by hand because of the circumferential depressions 26 on the handles 27 for gripping by hand and a diameter 24 at the end of the handle 27 for attachment to the vibratory handle shown at FIG. 3 reference number 30. FIG. 3, shows the vibratory handle 30 that is small at Approx. 5 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. The handle contains a battery (un-shown). The battery (un-shown) may be rechargeable. Apparatus to charge a rechargeable battery (un-shown) both by an external battery charger, wire connected charger inside the handle or magnetic coupled charge inside of the handle are known in the art and therefore not discussed in the specification for the present invention. The end of the handle has a blind hole 36 for accepting the diameter 24 of the brushes 20 and buffing or polishing tools 28. The on off switch 34 is located at the end of the vibratory handle 30 that is opposite the blind hole 36 so that the power is not inadvertently turned on or off causing the user to startle and potentially damage the jewelry and intricate objects. FIG. 4, shows an assortment of long handled brushes 40 with handles 42 and bristles 44. A magnifying glass for viewing of the jewelry or intricate objects.

FIG. 5, shows a covered plastic box 50 with first compartment 52A used to store short handled brushes 20 and buffing and polishing tools 22. Second compartment 52B is used to store the vibratory handle 30, and third compartment 52C us used to store the long handled brushes 40. Cleaning cloth or treated polishing cloth or drying cloth 16 contained in a re-sealable plastic bag 18 is stored between the tops of the compartment dividers and plastic box cover 54.

FIG. 6, shows the preferred method for using any of the claimed cleaning kits starting with supplying a cleaning kit of the present invention at step 600, followed by supplying the jewelry or intricate object to be cleaned at step 601. The process continues by identifying a stone included in the jewelry or intricate object if any at step 602, choosing a stone compatible cleaning solution recipe at step 603 and making a cleaning solution by mixing the recipe ingredients at step 604. The user continues by inspecting the jewelry or object for vulnerability to damage at step 605, selecting an appropriate brush at step 606, cleaning the jewelry or intricate object with the brush at step 607, rinsing the jewelry or intricate object in warm water at step 608 and drying the jewelry or intricate object with a clean cloth at step 609. Then the user continues by identifying a metal included in the jewelry or object if any at step 610, choosing a metal compatible buffing or polishing tool or cloth at step 611 and buffing or polishing metal with a treated cloth or buffing tool at step 613. Finally, the method concludes with rinsing jewelry or object in warm water to remove residue from tool or cloth at step 614 and drying the jewelry or object with a clean cloth or tissue. An, optional step is inspecting the jewelry of intricate objects with a magnifying glass. The aforementioned steps may be left out of the instructions for using a specific kit that does not contain the implements required to perform the method step or the complete list of method steps may be supplied with instructions that include steps for which the user has no supplied implements. Although the terms and definitions used in the specification are intended to be read into the claims they are hot intended to limit the meets and bounds of the claims presented here below in any manner whatsoever. 

I claim:
 1. A kit comprising everything required to clean a jewelry and an intricate objects with and without fluids, comprising: an assortment of long handle brushes with differing size, shape, density or stiffness of bristles for manual wet or dry cleaning of jewelry and intricate objects; an assortment of implements with handles for manual or power vibrational cleaning, with differing size, shape, density or stiffness of bristles for manual wet or dry cleaning of jewelry and intricate objects; a battery powered vibrating handle for holding brushes for cleaning of jewelry and intricate objects; one or more treated cloths or treated items made of cloth for polishing or un-treated cloth or items made of untreated cloth for buffing jewelry and intricate objects; a container for housing a kit components.
 2. The kit of claim 1, wherein: the assortment of implements with cylindrical handles has circumferential depressions oriented depressions for both manual use and powered vibrating while cleaning of jewelry and intricate objects.
 3. The kit of claim 2, wherein: one or more of the long handled brushes or the implements has either a plastic coated brush wire or a covered wire tip for protecting the jewelry from being damaged.
 4. The kit of claim 3, wherein: the battery powered vibrating handle vibrates the implement axially.
 5. The kit of claim 4, wherein: the battery powered vibrating handle has a power switch on the end of the handle opposite the implement holder.
 6. The implements have circumferential indentations for increasing resistance to slipping from a user's hands.
 7. The Kit of claim 6, wherein: the implement is a buffing tool.
 8. The Kit of claim 7, wherein: the implement is a conical buffing tool.
 9. The kit of claim 8, wherein: the implements are installed into the battery powered vibrating handle by axial pushing of the implement or removed from battery powered vibrating handle by axial pulling of the implement.
 10. The kit of claim 9, further wherein: the implements have covers for protecting the surfaces contacting the jewelry or the intricate objects from damage or contamination.
 11. The kit of claim 9, wherein: the container for housing the kit has at least three compartments and a cover.
 12. The kit of claim 9, wherein: the one or more treated or untreated cloths or items made of cloth are stored between a top of the compartments and the cover.
 13. The kit of claim 9, wherein: the battery is rechargeable.
 14. The kit of claim 9, further comprising: media bearing an indicia for communicating information to a user.
 15. The kit of claim 9, wherein: the indicia includes a recipe a cleaning solution.
 16. The kit of claim 9, wherein: the indicia includes a recipe for a hard gem stone cleaning solution.
 17. The kit of claim 1, wherein: the indicia includes a recipe for a soft and porous gem stone cleaning solution.
 18. The kit of claim 9, further comprising: a magnifying glass.
 19. The kit of claim 9, further comprising one or more additional items from the following list: i. chemicals for cleaning, polishing, buffing or coating of jewelry or intricate objects; ii. accessories that protect the eyes, hands, skin, lungs or clothing of a user; iii. protect the work surfaces of a facility where the jewelry cleaning is being performed; iv. vessels for containing a cleaning solution or a rinsing solutions.
 20. A method of using a cleaning kit for a cleaning, a buffing or a polishing of a jewelry and a intricate objects, comprising the steps: Supplying the cleaning kit of the herein claimed present invention; Supplying the jewelry or the intricate objects to be cleaned; Identifying a stone included in the jewelry or the intricate objects, if any; Choosing a cleaning solution recipe compatible with the stone; Making the cleaning solution by mixing the cleaning solution recipe ingredients; Inspecting the jewelry or the intricate objects for vulnerability to damage; Selecting an appropriate brush for not damaging the jewelry; Cleaning the jewelry or the intricate objects with the appropriate brush; Rinsing in the jewelry or the intricate objects in a warm water; Drying the jewelry or the intricate objects with a clean cloth; Identifying a metal included in the jewelry or the intricate objects, if any; Choosing a buffing or a polishing tool or a treated cloth or a buffing tool for metal compatibility; Buffing or polishing the metal with the treated cloth or the buffing tool; Rinsing the jewelry or the intricate objects in the warm water to remove a residue from the treated cloth or the buffing tool; Drying the jewelry or the intricate objects with the clean cloth or a tissue. 